Happy St. Patricks Day!

Days like today that I miss sweet home Chicago. May the luck of the Irish be with you all.

Gathering of Eagles

In opposition to the aforementioned ANSWER-coordinated protest in DC, and motivated by concerns that the anti-American organizers would use the Vietnam Wall as a backdrop for their protest, a nationwide network of veterans known as the Gathering of Eagles has come together to silently protect the memorials and honor the memory of those who gave their lives for this country. They died so that ANSWER protestors and others (including mainstream Democrats, as evinced by Kerry and Rangel's comments) had the freedom of speech to slander our men and women in uniform. What exactly does the Gathering of Eagles stand for? Their mission statement says that

Our Mission Statement

1. Gathering of Eagles is non-partisan. While each member has his or her own political beliefs, our common love and respect for America and her heroes is what brings us together.

2. We are a non-violent, non-confrontational group. We look to defend, not attack. Our focus is guarding our memorials and their grounds.

3. We believe that the war memorials are sacred ground; as such, we will not allow them to be desecrated, used as props for political statements, or treated with anything less than the solemn and heartfelt respect they–and the heroes they honor–deserve.

4. We are wholly and forever committed to our brothers and sisters in uniform. As veterans, we understand their incredible and noble sacrifices, made of their own accord for a nation they love more than life itself. As family members, we stand by them, and as Americans, we thank God for them.

5. We believe in and would give our lives for the precious freedoms found in our Constitution. We believe that our freedom of speech is one of the greatest things our country espouses, and we absolutely hold that any American citizen has the right to express his or her approval or disapproval with any policy, law, or action of our nation and her government in a peaceful manner as afforded by the laws of our land.

6. However, we are adamantly opposed to the use of violence, vandalism, physical or verbal assaults on our veterans, and the destruction or desecration of our memorials. By defending and honoring these sacred places, we defend and honor those whose blood gave all of us the right to speak as freely as our minds think.

7. We vehemently oppose the notion that it is possible to “support the troops but not the war.” We are opposed to those groups who would claim support for the troops yet engage in behavior that is demeaning and abusive to the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform.

8. We believe in freedom at all costs, including our own lives. We served to protect the freedoms Americans enjoy, and we agree with Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that “From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

9. We will accept nothing less than total, unqualified victory in the current conflict. Surrender is not an option, nor is defeat.

10. We stand to challenge any group that seeks the destruction of our nation, its founding precepts of liberty and freedom, or those who have given of themselves to secure those things for another generation. We will be silent no more.

All I can say is God bless these people; I hope the media provides them some fair coverage (not likely) and that their clear-eyed and patriotic statements can be accepted (or reaccepted) by the majority of Americans. I feel that more and more, as the despicable tactics of Congressional Democrats become visible, as they continue to mouth their support of the troops while stabbing them in the back, Americans may be coming to realize that you can't support the troops without supporting the war.

Moonbats of the World Unite

To show their opposition of the fourth anniversary of the Iraq (and obviously winning converts by blocking roads and inconveniencing everyone, in addition to no doubt smelling foul), the usual moonbats are going to be protesting across the nation. CODEPINK has been camped out in front of Pelosi's house for days, prompting the usual questions about whether these people actually have jobs and if not are they simply suckling at the governmental teat while stabbing said government in the back? CODEPINK activists also took the time to be obnoxiously present in the background of the Plame circus yesterday; that video is here. The two biggest demonstrations, however, are planned for New York and DC.

In New York, the marchers are brought together under the umbrella organization "United for Peace & Justice," an innocent-enough sounding name. But in addition to grieving parents and veterans, you also have some out and out wack-jobs participating. Just to list a few, the Black Radical Congress, Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, International Socialist Organization - National, League of Revolutionaries for a New America, Socialist Party USA - National, Socialist Alternative, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and Young Communists League. Those are only the ones whose names are indicative of where they stand. Then there are others, such as the 50 Years is Enough Network; an examination of their website finds them to be a fringe anti-globalization group that demands a cessation to the activities of the IMF and World Bank and the formation of a "Truth Commission" to investigate the "crimes" of these organizations. The full list of these loons can be found here (excel file).

The DC march is organized by ANSWER ("Act Now to Stop War and End Racism" - what the hell is that supposed to mean?). Though they seem too bright to post a list of all the nebulous groups behind the facade - or perhaps they want both the Marxists and the Trotskyists to remain blissfully unaware that the other is involved? - but they do list a handful. Among these are the Muslim Student Organization, acting on many campuses as a front for Saudi extremism (an eye-opening article from the Middle East Forum can be found here), as well as the Party for Socialism and Liberation; the coexistance of such groups provides anecdotal evidence of the "unholy alliance" alleged by Horowitz in his thus-titled book. And although they don't list their constituents they do list something of a platform (so it's 18 months old - I doubt it's changed):

* Stop the War in Iraq
* End Colonial Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti
* Support the Palestinian People’s Right of Return
* Stop the Threats Against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran & North Korea
* U.S. Out of the Philippines
* U.S. Out of Puerto Rico
* Bring all the troops home now
* Stop the Racist, anti-Immigrant and anti-Labor Offensive at Home, Defend Civil Rights
* Military Recruiters Out of Our Schools and Communities

Wow.

What kills me is that these loons - most of them anti-American in the extreme - have become visible symbols of opposition to the war, a position now held by a majority of Americans (no doubt in part due to the misleading spin of the media). But if that majority were to realize who they stand with, some might reconsider their position. So any sane anti-Iraq war types out there, please consider letting the world know that these moonbats don't represent you?

Strange Bedfellows

Alaska's "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case from 2002 will be heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow. Best of all, some Christian groups are supporting the sign-bearing student fearing a curtailment of religious speech on campus. Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

Khalid Sheik Mohammed

Khalid Sheik Mohammed testified in a hearing on his "enemy combatant" status yesterday at Gitmo, listing 31 different al Qaeda plots he was involved with in some capacity or another, including the September 11th attacks. Also,

I decapitated with my blessed right hand the American Jew, Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan

Bastard. The whole redacted and released transcript of the hearing can be found here. While I'm glad to see documents such as this one being released, I don't think it's necessary to have hearings to do so.

Amusing Loons

[NOTE: I almost wrote a radically different post on this topic, then went back and checked my story...first impressions can be deceiving (MATT STOLLER)] I'd privately noted a few weeks ago that when the DCCC released their "Frontline '08" list - the most vulnerable of their freshman reps, Carol Shea-Porter (NH1) was not on there. I was rather surprised as her opponent Jeb Bradley said he was running again and this is the kind of race that the DCCC must win to keep control of the House. I wondered if ideological disputes (and her rejection of establishment aid in 06) had come back to haunt her?

Apparently Matt Stoller, of progressive blog MyDD.com, thought the same thing, saying in a recent column bemoaning the alleged exclusion of progressives from party decision-making

From what I understand from talking to a few progressives on the Hill, the freshmen in Congress are being extensively 'trained' by Rahm Emanuel (news, bio, voting record)'s DLC band of consultants and pollsters, which is one reason they've been silent. Carol Shea-Porter is an exception, and notice how she was shut out of the DCCC's front line program.

Uh Matt? Check any sources lately? That column was published March 3rd. On Febraury 19th, CQPolitics noted that Shea-Porter and another grassroots candidate, Nancy Boyda, both

ran as political outsiders last year, and they aim to maintain that independent posture even as they seek re-election from inside Congress.

“I wanted to stay with the kind of campaign I ran before,” Shea-Porter told CQPolitics.com on Friday. The freshman explained her desire to continue her state’s tradition of “retail politics,” which favors local, door-to-door efforts. “It’s really about building trust and relationships.”

So Stoller flips out citing Shea-Porter's absence from the list as evidence of an alleged anti-progressive conspiracy. In reality, it was public knowledge almost two weeks before that Shea-Porter herself rejected DCCC aid.

It's been said before but bears repeting: this faction of the Democratic Party exists in a reality-free void - factcheck, factcheck, factcheck.

Remembering a Travesty

I missed it by two days but it's still worth noting the one year anniversary of the Duke Lacrosse Fraud. What happens when a politically-motivated DA seeks to make hay out of the drug-addled accusations of a felon and a whore with the complicity of a hopelessly-biased, ultra sensationalist media establishment and a cabal of professors of dubious intellectual capacity involved in the worst sort of navel-gazing concerned only with undermining society and criticizing "white privilege"? You ruin innocent lives. Almost as bad as all of the component parts of this hoax is the silence of the university's administration.

That the administration, Trustees, and faculty council have not yet begun a serious discussion (though I'd prefer termination proceedings) of the inexplicable, inexusable commentary of the "Group of 88" is ridiculous. We should be questioning what every one of these faculty members adds to the university community. At a time when we're looking to hire more faculty in some major disciplines, wouldn't we be helped in unburdening ourselves of professors researching (to cite one example) "feminism & queer studies" in 16th C France or those (no names) who falsely claim to have published books and articles.

Every individual and organization that had a hand in ruining the lives of Reade Seligman, Colin Finnerty and Dave Evans and tarnishing the reputation of one of the nation's finest universities should be ashamed of themselves, and in many cases (Nifong, the hooker) subject to litigation.

Just Throwing It Out There

It's been asked before but I'll ask it again. If a Republican candidate belonged to a church which proclaimed that:

We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Whites are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the White Community
3. Commitment to the White Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

It goes without saying they'd be reviled and demonized by the media, particularly by Sharpton, Jackson, the NAACP, etc. But change white to black and what do you get? Barack Obama and nary a peep in the mainstream media. This should put to rest any questions about Obama's "blackness" but should raise serious issues about his dedication to an America where race doesn't matter, which essentially is what he praised in his 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Just food for thought.

A Real Senate Race in Texas?

Trolling through the online insane asylum that is DailyKos today (as I do every day if only for amusement's sake), I found that Kos - who is sadly gaining more and more control of the Democratic Party, which should instead be finding and running more sane rational and admirable candidates like Lieberman - has selected for himself a candidate to run against John Cornyn in Texas. Now my initial thought was that a good Republican like Cornyn would be basically untouchable in so red a state as Texas but Kossacks are crowing about poll numbers that might suggest otherwise. Cornyn's fav/unfav are tighter than a candidate might want going into an election, but certainly not bad (Hillary's are pretty much in the same awful region too).

So who's this newly-crowned "people powered candidate" (and is only Kos's support needed to make him people-powered or do the...um...people actually need to approve too?)? He's a state senator from Houston by the name of Rick Noriega. Compelling resume, I must admit - Afghanistan veteran, KSG graduate - but whether he's got the substance to actually run remains to be seen. Should Noriega prove to be somewhat viable (and get past whatever the Texas DP establishment throws at him), this could be a noteworthy race in Texas. What's always an interesting aspect to Texas politics is the Hispanic dimension as both parties understand the importance of that vote and thus neither engages in the sort of anti-immigrant sentiment that too often boils over into xenophobic/racist anti-Latino rhetoric elsewhere. I love race season.

Bear on the Prowl

So we all know that Russia's awash in petrodollars, much like the theocracies of the Middle East are. But what I didn't know till today is that much like their Gulf counterparts, the Russians are also cozying up to anti-Israeli terrorist organizations. According to a story from the Weekly Standard, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal is the guest of the Russian Foreign Minister - for the second time this year. The Kremlin willfully insists that Hamas isn't allied with Muslim terrorists in Chechyna, but Levitt's article makes the falsehood of such beliefs painfully obvious.

That of course begs questions about Russian aims and motives. Historically speaking, Russia has always been a bastion of antisemitism - the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion were authored by the Csarist secret police - but more more recently, the Soviet Union sided with Arab states against Israel. Now seeing that Israel is basically our only friend in the region (many regional leaders feared Sadaam but fear a viable democracy as well), it makes sense to encourage their enemies. But there's a larger lesson for our leaders in all of this: the Cold War is basically back, with a rich Russia funding mischief around the world, and we should begin to understand Russian machinations less as aberations but more as intentional practice. They've shown themselves willing to cause trouble (meddling with gas supplies, killing critics, threatening those who would host our missile shield, etc.) and we can't keep wishing the problem away.

(How Often Do I Post These Mea Culpas?)

So it goes without saying that I've been absent and silent for a while, really AWOL more than anything else as I could no doubt find the time to blog. That being said, I'm back for at least the time being. Not that anyone's missed me.